Restoring the pier railway coach that carried a king!
A CARRIAGE that once carried a king along Hythe Pier Railway is currently being restored.
With D-Day approaching towards the end of May 1944, Captain James of HMS Squid – the shore-based Combined Operations Base at Southampton that was responsible for the administration and housing of a considerable number of the Normandy assault squadrons and HMS Squid II, a smaller such base at Hythe – was told of the visit, in utmost secrecy, of King George VI, our new king’s grandfather, to the Southampton base and its craft, to later proceed to Hythe Pier, from where a car would receive him and take him to Broadlands at Romsey.
On the day, several sailors who were detailed for a ‘special job’ were assembled at the pier into two parties, one larger than the other. The larger group, ordered to adorn their No. 1 dress, was hidden away at the landward end, while the smaller group, numbering about a dozen and wearing overalls and armed with mops, buckets, brooms and pails, were similarly concealed at the pierhead.
Just before 5pm, the 2ft gauge pier train delivered its passengers in time for the ferry to Southampton. As soon as the vessel was away, the ‘working party’ emerged from hiding to scrub and clean the train from end to end in about eight minutes flat before disappearing back into their hideaway. Meanwhile, the ‘dressed’ party had marched down the pier, the column losing a man periodically as the guard ordered for each lamppost was taken up.
The king arrived by launch right on time, just as the last of the working party was hidden away. At the pierhead, he and his entourage were received by Commander J W Rayner, second in command at HMS Squid, who escorted him onto the train and throughout his journey along the pier, during which he was saluted by each of the ratings.
On arrival at the landward end, the king was received by Capt James and after a short pause to talk with the train driver, Leonard Pearce, he and his party proceeded to Broadlands.
A commemorative plaque later placed in the carriage the king rode in, No. 1327 (also known as Carriage 2), was subsequently removed by an anonymous and unscrupulous souvenir hunter. A period penny coin has in very recent times been placed on the backrest of the seat where the king sat.
Restoration underway
Hythe Pier Heritage Association is currently restoring No. 1327. It was withdrawn from service to make way for the reintroduction of restored
No. 1048 (also known as Carriage 1) just prior to the celebration over the weekend of July 23/24 marking the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the pier railway, as reported in Heritage Railway issue 296.
The pier railway had been so well-received among passengers using the Hythe-Southampton ferry service that its owner, Thomas Percy, under advice of his railway engineer Gerald Yorke, placed an order for two motorised driving carriages on May 10, 1923 to supplement the existing rolling stock that had been operating since the railway’s inauguration the previous July.
As with the two trailer-carriages already in operation, the new carriages would be supplied by the Drewry Car Company of London and built by Baguley of Burton upon Trent.
Mr Percy demanded that delivery of at least one of the second order of carriages be in time for the Whitsun holiday on May 21. Drewry Car No. 1327 was dispatched on May 12 and No. 1328 followed two days later.
For expediency, Mr Percy decreed that the final inspection would be undertaken by Yorke on arrival at Hythe. Yorke reported that the first of the new carriages “was in such a disgracefully defective condition (it) was not able to take to the run even as a trailer”, adding that he had
“interviewed the managing director of the car company and expressed (himself ) very strongly on the subject.”
The constructors agreed to send engineers to Hythe to rectify issues which included, among a catalogue of faults, “unsatisfactory brakes”.
On July 28, 1923, an extremely disappointed Mr Percy wrote to the Drewry Car Co: “These two cars were ordered on the understanding that they would be delivered two clear weeks before Whit Monday, viz May 7, and they were actually paid for on May 10.
“All the time since they have been unusable, and we are now approaching the August bank holiday.”
So far as can be ascertained, the two carriages remained idle over that holiday weekend.
No. 1327, which was invoiced for £375 (the equivalent to £25,000 in 2022), arrived painted grey with white interior. The livery was changed to dark green with cream HPR signage later on in the decade.
Volunteer work
Hythe Pier Heritage Association has carried out an initial inspection and deconstruction has begun. All seating and the doors have been removed to the Hythe (Men’s) Shed (at the pier), where volunteers will carry out cleaning and restoration. They will retain as much of the original woodwork as possible.
With work also underway on the replacement of the first 43 metres of track, including pier supports and sleepers, and the points and sidings making demands on association funding, it is not expected to have No. 1327 back on track until late 2023. However, the association will continue to explore all avenues to secure further funding so it can reenter service as early as possible.
➜ Donations can be made via the association’s website at www.savehythepier.org.uk